


Runaway

by diangelonnico



Series: Royal Runaways [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/F, Luke and Annabeth are like siblings, Peasant Baker! Annabeth, Princess! piper, Royalty AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-09
Updated: 2014-07-10
Packaged: 2018-02-08 04:46:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1927110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/diangelonnico/pseuds/diangelonnico
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Piper is a princess, heir to the throne due to be married off soon. She has been kept in a tower guarded by a dragon her whole life and decides that she's going to go out and get her own life instead of living the one the Queen demands she live.<br/>But, the palace is looking for her and giving a heavy reward for anyone who finds her. She goes to the first person she can find for help, Annabeth and she falls in love, just a little bit. Annabeth does too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> so, I really really enjoyed writing this and there is more coming, promise. I have been meaning to write some pipabeth for a while and finally an idea arose!  
> So enjoy <3

Annabeth was just closing up her and her brother, Luke’s, small little bakery when she heard an insistent knock on the door. She didn’t know why someone would be calling at this time but she decided to answer it anyway.

She opened the creaky wooden door to find a girl, about her age, stood there wrapped in scarfs to keep her from the cold. She was wearing clothes not fitting to be out on streets in, the kind a noble woman might wear. Annabeth wondered what a nobleman’s daughter was doing at her door, unless the girl had stolen the clothes from a passing cart which seemed much more likely.

The girl was pretty with darkish skin and eyes so amazing that Annabeth could not describe them. They were multi-coloured and just beautiful.

Annabeth did not think, before seeing this girl, that you could have multi-coloured eyes. Maybe she was wrong. It was rumoured the princess had multi-coloured eyes but she was locked away in her tower, never to be seen by any peasant. There was even a dragon guarding the tower, Festus with his bronze coloured skin and his fiery breath.

But back to the girl stood shivering on Annabeth’s doorstep. Her hair was plaited messily, and it looked like she had cut it herself as it was all uneven and sticking out from the braid over her shoulder. It was not long, but it was not short. It suited her however.

The girl shuffled unsurely. “Can I come in?” She asked.

“Why should I let you in, I don’t even know who you are or why you are here.” Annabeth stated simply.

“They’re coming for me.” She whispered. Annabeth didn’t know who ‘they’ were but she would not like to be in the girl’s position and if her face and voice betrayed how truly scared she was, then she was very scared. She did not seem like a threat.

Annabeth stepped aside. “Come in.” And the girl hurried in. As soon as the door was closed she took the scarf off which concealed most of her face. She was even prettier than Annabeth had first thought.

Annabeth lit a candle as it was getting dark and she led the girl upstairs to where her and Luke lived with Thalia, Luke’s wife – who wasn’t around often. Thalia was a hunter and she was on hunting trips the majority of the time so the bakery was left to Luke and Annabeth. Luke wasn’t Annabeth’s real brother and Thalia was not her sister however she felt as if they were her siblings after knowing them so long. They took care of her when she was young and still did today when she was almost an adult.

Annabeth sat the girl down and got her a cup of the hot soup simmering over the fire. Luke was out at the moment, the bakery did not do so well and it was hard to make a living so they had to resort to more unlawful measures to make do, so every night Luke donned his hat, cloak and pistol and took what they needed. He said he’d rather risk his life being a highway man than have Annabeth selling her body to pompous dirty men on the streets.

The brown choppy haired girl drank the soup without saying a word and when she was done, Annabeth took the cup from her hands and sat down across from her. “What’s your name?” She asked.

The girls eyes darted around. “Piper.” She said quickly as if she didn’t want Annabeth to hear her.

“Piper? Is the Princess in the tower not called Piper?” She asked.

“I wouldn’t know. My grandfather just liked the name.” Piper lied. Yes, her grandfather liked the name, but Annabeth did not need to know her Grandfather was the previous king of a neighbouring kingdom and her mother the queen of this one.

Annabeth nodded. “I am Annabeth.” She told her. “My brother Luke is usually here, but he is on business at the moment and Thalia, his wife is out hunting.” She explained. “Who is coming for you?” Annabeth asked.

“Someone. I would rather not say, but if they find me, they will not be kind. I need somewhere to stay and I am too tired to explain. I have been up for a night and a day, running and hiding – you are the first person to answer the door to me and let me in. I am grateful but I cannot give you explanations right now.” Piper said and stood up, curtseying. Annabeth thought the gesture strange but she did not question. She had more pressing questions on her mind like where had this girl come from? Who was looking for her? Why? What would they do to her if they found her? “Is there anywhere I might sleep?” Piper asked and Annabeth led her to her own bedroom, she could sleep in Luke and Thalia’s bed since Thalia would not be back for a few days and Luke would not be back until the early hours of the morning.

So, once Annabeth had made sure Piper was ok in her bed, she went to bed herself and thought about what exciting things Piper might have to say tomorrow. It did cross Annabeth’s mind that by taking Piper in, however temporarily, might put her in danger from whoever was looking for Piper but she decided she didn’t really care. Piper seemed good hearted and she was pretty – that was all Annabeth could ask for in a girl, aswell as liking her back which she may have to work on.

As Annabeth slept she dreamt of Piper, the pretty girl on her doorstep and how she liked her. She wondered, really wondered where she was from and why she was wearing such nice clothes. It was strange.

Annabeth was awoken by a scream in the early hours of the morning coming from her room. “Y-you’re not Annabeth.” Luke’s voice said.

Annabeth ran into the small room next door, wearing only her undershirt. Piper was sat up, with the bed sheets covering her body and Luke was looking at her confusedly. The scream had been Luke’s Annabeth guessed. “Very manly scream Luke.” Annabeth teased tapping Luke on the shoulder lightly to indicate she was there.

“W-why is it not you in your bed?” Luke asked.

“I’ll tell you in morning, because I don’t really know either.” Annabeth explained. “Piper here turned up on our doorstep and what could I do but take her in?” Annabeth looked at Piper and smiled. Piper managed a smile back but you could tell her heart wasn’t in it. “Sorry about this.” Annabeth directed at Piper.

She led Luke out of her room. “I had a feeling you might want to show me what you got.” Annabeth smiled.

Luke smiled back at her. “I didn’t get much material, but I got information. The princess, from the tower, is missing. A week before she was due to be engaged to Prince Jason Grace.”

Annabeth gasped. “How did she get out the tower?” she asked.

“No-one knows.” Luke whispered. “But the dragons gone too.”

“Really?”

“Really. And the palace are offering a heavy ransom. Alive and mainly unharmed of course but nothing me and Thalia couldn’t do together.” Luke smiled.

“You’re going to go and find the princess?” Annabeth asked in as hushed a tone as she could.

Luke nodded. “If we do, we would never have to steal again. Five. _Hundred_. Pounds. Annabeth.”

“That is a lot of money.” Annabeth thought out loud.

“I know.” Luke grinned. “When Thalia comes back, which is soon, we will find her and we _will_ get the prize.”

Annabeth just nodded as they walked back to his room. Luke took his side of the bed and Annabeth took Thalia’s, as she did before. “So who’s this girl?” Luke asked, lying awake looking at the celing.

“Some peasant girl I guess. She probably stole something. She said ‘they’re coming for me’. What could I do but let her in?”

“You could have turned her away.” Luke said. Annabeth looked at him. She could see the scar running down from his right eye to his jaw in the dim moonlight. He had got that back in his dragon hunting days, a dangerous business but a way to make money. He had retired from that long ago, when he’d got the scar and Thalia was almost killed. They decided it was far too dangerous. Now it was regular animal hunting for Thalia and the bakery and pickpocketing for Luke.

“How could I Luke? Could you have turned me away?” She asked.

“No. But then this Piper, not exactly a cute little girl, is she?”

“She’s pretty.” Annabeth smiled, as if she fancied her. When Luke turned his head to look at her, she blushed.

“You like her.” He observed.

All Annabeth could do was smile like she was in love. Of course she wasn’t yet, but she was starting to fall. It always started this way.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i wrote this quite quick and I'm not sure if I liked how it turned out or not?
> 
> I've never wrote Luke before and this is the first time Annabeth is a protaganist in one of my stories so you'll have to let me know how i' doing on that!
> 
> Also, I might do a Jercy side story, but idk yet. i have an idea for it but it would be a v short story because the focus is pipabeth. Pipabeth. Pipabeth.

Piper lay in the unfamiliar bed, thinking. The bed was not as comfy as she was used to, and the blankets were scratchy instead of silky. She had used to think she would rather be free than be locked up in that blasted tower until she was married off, but now she was thinking again. How was she to know that being free stunk of everything not nice and had scratchy blankets and lumpy beds and plain soup?

But, thinking about it, however horrible this experience was it was far from boring. She did not want to have to marry Jason Grace and live in a boring palace and bear him children while he went out riding with his friends. She would rather live somewhere like here with a husband who loved her, or rather a wife but Piper knew that was not to be done in this day and age. Perhaps she could make it work, if the palace guards ever stopped looking for her and left her in peace. It wasn’t even as if she’d done anything.

All she had done, was convinced the dragon to leave and let her go. She was good at getting people to do what she wanted, or dragons, but the Queen and her consorts were a different matter. She did not like using her ability however, she felt it unfair.

As she lay there, in Annabeth’s bed she thought about how kind Annabeth was being. She had let her in, fed her and given her a bed – all without asking any questions but Piper knew those would come tomorrow morning. She didn’t know what she was going to tell her. Should she tell her she was the princess? She didn’t know.

Piper quite liked Annabeth, she liked the way her curly blonde hair fell about her face and the way her long eyelashes framed her steely grey eyes. She liked the way her mouth curved up in a knowing smile and her gentle hands, with lean fingers – they were almost like a pianists hands but Piper doubted Annabeth had ever even seen a piano, never mind played one. They may have one in the local public house but Piper did not know.

She was just thinking of what Annabeth could do with those hands when she heard a door opening close by. Then a scream. She sat up to come face to face with a tall boy, with sandy blond hair and a scar running down his face. This must be Luke she thought.

Annabeth came running in then, and took Luke away with a smile towards Pipers direction to reassure her. Piper stayed awake listening to the conversation Luke and Annabeth had in the hallway. She felt bad for eavesdropping, but she had never had anyone to eavesdrop on, all alone in the tower with a visit from some noble sent by her mother every now and again.

Piper wished she hadn’t eavesdropped , or maybe she didn’t, because she heard something she did not want to hear. The palace was giving a reward for bringing her back, alive. She did not want to go back, never ever in a million years. She knew that if she went back, or someone took her back, they would lock her back up and make her marry that stupid Prince who was only good for getting into trouble and would expect Piper to be laid out on a platter for him as all the other young noblemen did with the young women chosen to marry them. He would expect a son as heir and plenty of other children too, but Piper did not want to give him them, nor herself to him.

She could never let Luke know who she really was. He would have her tied up and brought before the queen in no time. But Annabeth, she had a feeling she could trust Annabeth. She didn’t know why but she felt it, from the bottom of her innocent heart.

__

Piper woke up to the smell of fresh bread. It was delicious and made her feel hungry. It looked as if it was just getting light outside and the birds were starting to chirp. It was just as she was contemplating getting up when the door to the room creaked open and Annabeth walked in, holding a small plate with a few slices of fresh bread on it. She sat down on the end of the bed and offered the bread to Piper. She did so while smiling so radiantly Piper wanted to kiss her and make her smile even more.

Piper took the bread and ate it slowly. It tasted good, she guessed it was freshly made from Annabeth’s bakery. “So.” Annabeth started. “Are you going to tell me who you are and why you’re here? What you’re running from?”

Piper didn’t say anything, she just looked down at the now empty plate on her lap.

Annabeth put a gentle hand under Pipers chin and lifted her face up to look at her. Piper had fear in her eyes and her heart was beating fast. “I . . .I . . .Is your brother here?” Piper stammered. She could not let Luke know, but she felt after Annabeth being so kind to her, she owed it to her.

“No.” Annabeth said gently while shaking her head. “He’s in the bakery.”

Piper nodded. “You cannot tell anyone, not even your brother. Never. You have to promise me that. I – I can’t go back.” Piper said, closing her eyes to try and get rid of the tears that were welling in her eyes at the thought of someone sending her back to that blasted tower where she would be under the constant control of the Queen, her evil mother.

“I won’t tell a soul.” Annabeth promised, tucking a stray lock of Pipers hair behind her ear. Piper smiled at the gesture.

Then her face returned to seriousness. “The royal guard is looking for me. They chased me from the palace and into the woods and into the village. I lost them at some point but they will not stop.” She explained.

Annabeth nodded, but she hadn’t quite caught on yet. “What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything. I simply left.”

Annabeth thought for a second, her face twisted in confusion then she gasped. She looked at Piper with wide eyes. “You’re the princess. The escaped princess.” Annabeth pointed out.

“I am.” Piper said, she was surprised she was admitting all this to someone she had only just met the night before, but if she was going to ask Annabeth to hide her, she deserved to know why. Annabeth was smart anyway; she would have likely figured it out in time. Piper just hoped she didn’t tell Luke, she did not him but from the sound of Luke’s voice she had a feeling he would not hesitate to turn her in and reap the reward.

Piper heard a shout then. “Annabeth!” It was Luke. There were heavy footsteps up the stairs. “I need you to look after the bakery. Me and Ethan are going to look for the princess.” He said as he appeared in the doorway.

“Are you sure it will be worth it?” Annabeth asked. Piper was grateful.

Luke grinned. “Of course it will be worth it Annabeth. We could live in a palace if we get this reward. I will be a hero.”

“I don’t think you should do it. What are the chances of you finding her?”

“High chances. Me and Ethan, we know these woods, not many people do – certainly not the royal guard and defiantly not the princess. She can’t have gone far.” Luke explained. “So, make sure you look after the bakery while I’m gone. I’ll be back by sunset tomorrow.” He promised as he ran back down the stairs.

Annabeth sighed. Oh well, Piper thought. If she stayed there he couldn’t find her. “What if he finds out it’s you when he gets back?” Annabeth asked, putting the words in Pipers mouth.

“I don’t know.” Piper sighed and Annabeth went downstairs to make sure the bakery was ready for customers coming in. Piper pulled on an old dress lying on Annabeth’s floor and followed her down. She hoped Annabeth wouldn’t mind her wearing her dress, that was slightly too big for Piper but better than standing out like a sore thumb in her dirty expensive clothes.

__

The bakery was filled with the smell of fresh bread, a smell Piper had not smelled many times before. She inhaled it and basked in it, for it was amazing. She smiled at Annabeth as she walked through the door from the stairway, picking on the loose ends of thread on the sleeve of Annabeth’s dress.

“Piper, someone might recognise you. If you are who you say you are.”

Pipers smile fell.

“You can stay here until I open up shop though” Annabeth smiled at her, instantly feeling bad for hurting Pipers feelings.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a commnent if you liked it! I want to know how people found it and if you want more. <3


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